


Tea

by angel1972



Category: Avengers (Comics), Black Widow (Comics), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Families of Choice, Feels, Female Friendship, Gen, I'm Bad At Summaries, No Boys Allowed, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Please read, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-09
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-01-15 05:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1292350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel1972/pseuds/angel1972
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four women from different backgrounds, different parts of the world, and time-space continuum gather to drink, form a friendship, and discuss how to annoy Tony. Natasha, Peggy and Sharon Carter, Bobbi Morse, friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Does this pass the Bechdel Test?
> 
> I need a better summary. Any suggestions?
> 
> Someone on TV made a comment about the 'miracle on ice' hockey team being plucky Americans vs. the Russian machine, and somehow my brain came up with this. 
> 
> This was suppose to be nothing but (hopefully) entertaining crack, but somehow some feels got into it. Even so, please try to enjoy the ride, and try not to think too hard. I would hate for your brain to explode.

Tea.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Marvel, and are being used without its consent for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made.

 

~000~

 

The tea shop was one of those small, almost nondescript places that one could pass a million times without ever noticing. Peggy Carter checked the address one last time before opening the door, and stepping through. A bell's gentle jingle announced her arrival, and three females heads snapped in attention. 

'Peggy, flip the sign will you?' Natasha said with a wave.

The brunette did as she was bade, and when she got to the table where the redhead, and the other off-duty agents were, she was greeted by each woman. Natasha and Bobbi gave her a hug, whilst her grand-niece, Sharon, gave her a hug, and a peck on the cheek.

'Glad you could make it Aunt Peggy. We were beginning to think you got lost,' Sharon said once everyone was seated. 'I hope you don't mind, but I know what kind of tea you like, so I placed an order for you. It shouldn't be long til its ready.'

'Excellent.' Peggy said. 'I do apologize for being tardy, but I had a devil of a time finding a parking spot.'

'Don't sweat it. It's not like you were missing anything interesting,' Natasha said with a smirk. 'Just Bobbi telling us how she'd win if all four of us got into a battle to the death.'

'I would. I totally would.'

'According to whom?' Peggy asked incredulous. 

'Hollywood, and history,' Bobbi said with a nod of her head, as if that settled everything.

Her response was met three eye-rolls.

'Wait a minute, wait a minute before we get too deep in the weeds, we probably should set out the ground rules,' the redhead said.

Sharon nodded in agreement before pointing to a large clear container with a slit carved in the lid. Inside were several dozen dollar bills of various denominations. 'This is a no man zone. We don't talk about them, we don't say their names, and if we slip we put a dollar bill in here.'

'Why are there 100 dollar bills in there?'

'We invited Pepper Potts to one of our meetings,' Natasha said with a snort. 'We lost track of how many times she said . . . a certain billionaire's name, so she just tossed a couple c-notes in there, and called it even.'

'Must be nice, having that kind of of money,' Peggy murmured. 'And what are you planning on doing once you've filled it?'

'Hawaii sounds nice,' Bobbi supplied. 'But we haven't decided yet.'

The Brit chuckled. 'If you keep inviting Ms. Potts, you'll be able to buy a Hawaiian island.'

'Sure, Auntie. We can put a big sign out front saying no boys allowed.'

'We'll write it in crayon, and the s will be backwards,' Natasha said.

It was at this time that that the owner of the tea shop started bringing out their tea. The two blondes and redhead went into the small kitchen in the back and helped bring out the food, and the rest of the tea. Several minutes later all four were sipping tea from their own small pots, and snacking on crustless sandwiches, and blueberry scones. 

'She doesn't mind we're here after hours?' Peggy asked. She sipped her tea, and let out a satisfied little sigh. Back in the war, tea was a rare commodity, and good tea was even rarer. Here in this time, tea, like cream, and good stockings were as abundant as water.

'No, we just have to clean up after ourselves,' her niece said around a mouthful of scone. A bit of clotted cream was lodged in the corner of her mouth, and she licked it away with her tongue. 'Now lets get back on topic. There is noway you can beat a woman who could literally kill a man with her thighs, or my Aunt who killed a squadron of HYRDA agents with nothing but a pistol and her bare hands, or of course myself.'

Peggy looked down at the redhead's thighs and then back up to her face. 'You can kill a man with your thighs?' she whispered.

'Oh yes, its quite easy actually,' Natasha whispered back. 'I'll teach you, if you want, but you have to tell me how you defeated those HYRDA agents.'

'Deal,' the brunette whispered with a nod before returning to the conversation at hand. 'My niece sells herself short, as she is one of the premier marksmen – markspersons? in SHEILD. So you would be facing three highly trained, extremely dangerous women with nothing but your . . . batons?'

'You forget one thing.'

'And what's that?' Natasha deadpanned.

'I am a plucky American.'

'W-w-what?' Peggy managed to choke out.

'It's really quite simple,' Bobbi said. 'Natasha is the Russian machine. Peggy is the stuck-up Brit – '

'Russian machine?'

'Stuck-up Brit?'

Bobbi nodded her head, unmindful of the hole she was digging for herself. 'And I have history, and Hollywood to back me up.'

'And what about me?' Sharon asked. 'I was born and bred in America.'

'You were probably a WASPy overachiever. Captain of . . . stuff and things. Straight A's, honor-roll, valedictorian. I on the other hand, represent blue-color America, and therefore would win.'

'Can I implement a new rule?' Natasha asked. 'Not only do we have to put in a dollar for talking about men, but you have to put in a dollar if you say something utterly ridiculous. And I say we make it retroactive for the past 20 minutes.'

'All those in favor?' Sharon asked. Three hands shot up. 'All those opposed?'

Bobbi was the only one to raise her hand.

'The ayes have it,' Sharon said. 'Pay up.'

'I think that's at least a five-er,' Peggy said as she watched the younger blonde dig through her purse.

'Oh come on! I wasn't that bad, was I?'

'Yes, you were,' chorused Natasha, and Sharon.

Bobbi groused the whole time, but put her money in the container.

'How long have you ladies been doing this?' the brunette asked after several moments. 'You three seem more the beer and pizza type.'

'Nothing wrong with beer and pizza,' her niece said. She was eying the tiers of plates trying to decide between a mini-quiche, a mini-sandwich, or a mini-desert. 'We'll have to take you out for some real Brooklyn-style pizza one of these days.'

Sharon's aunt chuckled. 'I never said there was anything wrong with it, I just had a hard imagining the three of you at low-tea.'

'Well, if it wasn't for Maria Hill none of us would be here,' Natasha supplied. She took her time and refilled her cup, blew a few times and them took a cautious sip. 'I'm certain you've heard how I defected from Russia, right?'

Peggy nodded, and sipped her own tea.

'Well, the higher-ups were worried I'd leave and start God only knows what kind of trouble if I didn't have roots. So Maria, who's related to the proprietor of this place, decided tea and sympathy was the way to go, and she somehow roped these two into helping. Though in all honesty it was just her going on, and on about a certain-one eyed pain in the butt.'

'She's the reason we came up with the no man zone in the first place,' Bobbi said around a mouthful of quiche. 'She still owes us a couple of hundred bucks.'

'Is that why Maria isn't here?'

The three women nodded. 

'Is that why I'm here? I need roots.'

The three women nodded again.

'We try to do this once a month when we're all in town,' Sharon said. 'But, as you'll find once they put you back in the field, it's sometimes very difficult to find the time.'

'Yeah, sometimes we just crash at Natasha's place and gorge on pizza and wine. And then fall asleep on the couch,' the younger blonde said with a snicker. 'I still say it'd be easier to buy a place for all four of us, or you could take advantage of a certain billionaire's offer . . .'

Natasha shook her head emphatically. 'Pepper would be a widow in a month, and that's all I'm saying on the matter.' 

'I'm not saying live there. I'm saying sell the floor, and put a down payment on a nice place with four bedrooms. Between the four of us, it'll be paid for in no time.'

The remaining women exchanged looks with each. 

'You know,' Sharon said slowly. 'That's kind of genius. You find the right buyer, and you could get a good payday out of it.'

'If nothing else, the look on you-know-who's face would be priceless,' Peggy said with a wide grin. 

'You people are evil,' Natasha said. 'And that is why we are friends.'

'So . . .' Sharon asked.

'Break out the real estate ads, ladies. We're going house hunting.' Natasha turned to her right. 'I hope you know, that includes you Peggy. We need to get you out of those ridiculous SHIELD apartments, and into a real home.'

Peggy's smile quickly turned a little watery. 'A real home,' she repeated, and waved her hand in a weak-hearted attempt at stopping the overwhelming emotions she was feeling. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You must think I'm some kind of fool.'

'No one thinks that, Auntie.' 

And one by one Peggy found her self encircled by three woman whom she was coming to think of more, and more as family. They could never replace the people she lost when she fell into that hole and landed 60 years into the future, but at least she wasn't alone anymore.

'You're stuck with us forever, Peggy.' Natasha whispered. 'I hope you know that.'

And the brunette did not find that a bad proposition at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had intended this to be a one-shot. But I really liked the idea of having my favorite female characters drinking tea, snarking, and being supportive friends to each other.
> 
> Each chapter is a stand alone with the theme being tea and friendship.
> 
> This chapter takes place after Captain America: Winter Soldier.

**True leaders don't invest in buildings. Jesus never built a building. They invest in people. Why? Because success without a successor is failure. So your legacy should not be in buildings, programs, or projects; your legacy must be in people.**

**Myles Munroe.**

 

“If you buy that lamp, Natasha Romanoff, I'm divorcing you.” 

“What are you talking about Sharon? That is the greatest lamp that's ever been lamped. All other lamps pale in comparison. They weep jealous tears of jealousy that they are not that lamp.”

“You are the most ridiculous human being I've ever met.” And yet despite the exasperated tone, the blonde couldn't completely keep her smile at bay.

“Hey, I made you smile, so it was worth it.”

Sharon shook her head in mild exasperation before taking a sip from her ice tea. Normally she could banter back and forth for hours with Natasha, easily matching quips with the redhead. But today was different, today and yesterday, and the yesterday before that.

As a matter of fact it's been nearly two weeks since she felt completely like herself. 

Two weeks since her whole world came to an abrupt and shattering end with the fall of SHIELD. 

“How are you feeling? About everything?” Natasha asked tentatively. Her brows furrowed in worry as she stared intently at the blonde. She had hoped this little excursion would help cheer her friend up. And maybe there was a foolish, childish part of her that was hoping that even after everything that had happened, nothing would have changed between her and the blonde.

Obviously she was wrong. But she had no idea what to say or do. Natasha had never been very good at giving or receiving comfort. Ironically, that was always Clint's forte.

“How do think?” Sharon replied with a little more bite than she intended. She looked at people wondering up and down the sidewalks, pausing to look and point at displays, smiling, laughing, talking, or just quietly enjoying time alone. She took a deep breath, held it, and then released it along with some of the tension.

“I'm sorry . . .”

“No, I'm sorry. It was a dumb question,” Natasha said. “Should I have even bothered to call?”

“No it wasn't a dumb question, and yes I'm glad you called. I'm glad you dragged me outside, I was getting worried you skipped town after the senate hearings.”

“I wanted to. I was going to. I'm not sure I'm welcomed anywhere, besides there's not a lot of job openings for someone with my resume.”

“Really? Not a lot job openings for an ex-superhero, ex-spy? Not even at 'Starbucks'?”

Natasha, despite herself couldn't help but bark out a laugh, which in turn earned her several side-eyes from passerbys. 

“Com'on, I know somewhere private, and with better tea,” Natasha said before she chucked the last of her drink into the nearest garbage can, soon to be followed by her friend's nearly empty cup. She then took Sharon's hand and led the blonde on a winding, twisting route that finally led to a safe house in the back of a Russian restaurant. 

“Sit,” Natasha ordered pointing toward a worn sofa, and the blonde immediately, silently obeyed. Now the Russian knew there was something seriously out of whack, normally an order from her would be met with a sarcastic remark, or a mock salute. 

Maybe this was a mistake, Natasha thought as she gathered items to make tea with. Bottled water was put into an electric kettle which was then plugged into the wall. Maybe she shouldn't have contacted Sharon, maybe she should have disappeared after the senate hearings. 

After all, she had helped bring down SHIELD, the institution that was as close to sacred ground for Sharon as any church. Maybe this cold shoulder was the blonde's way of telling her to get lost.

“Stop it,” Sharon ordered. 

“Stop what?”

“Whatever it is you're thinking. I can practically see the wheels in your head turning.”

“I'm sorry.” And those two words conveyed, or tried to convey, a world of regret and contrition. 

“No you're not, and neither am I, or at least we shouldn't be. We both did what had to be done because it was the right thing, not the easy thing, or the kind thing. HYDRA had infested SHIELD and was going to kill millions, you and Sam and Steve stopped them.”

“I know,” Natasha said quietly. “But don't discount yourself. You helped as well even though you had no idea what was going on.”

“I trusted you: I believed in you.”

The redhead poured boiling water into mugs and placed a tea bag into each one to seep. She left the last comment hanging. She liked Sharon a lot, but sometimes it felt as if she were extremely naive when it came to who to trust. “Have you told your aunt?”

“Why bother? She'll just forget a minute later. Besides, even without the Alzheimer, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to break her heart like that, not after everything she sacrificed to build SHIELD from the ground up,” Sharon said with a sigh. She leaned back on the sofa so that she was staring at the ceiling. “I think that's what actually bothers me the most about the whole thing.”

“The death of her legacy?”

“Yeah. Aunt Peggy put all her blood, sweat, and toil into building SHIELD as an organization for good. She sacrificed so much of her personal life, there wasn't anything she wouldn't have done. And in the end, it was all for nothing.”

Pushing herself off the sofa, Sharon paced as best she could in the limited space. Frustration, and anger seemed to emanate from her pores, and her whole body was tense, taunt like the wire on Clint's bow. 

“She wanted to protect the world . . .”

“And she did. HYDRA, from my understanding, didn't truly start taking hold until after she had retired. Her very presence was a determent, that's pretty damn impressive if you ask me.” 

She paused in her pacing, and accepted a mug of tea from Natasha. Sharon blew at it for a few seconds before taking a cautious sip. 

“I just wish I could have preserved it,” the blonde said quietly, her voice filled with regret. She retook her seat on the couch next to the redhead, and the two of them sipped their tea in silence. “I can't help but think, if only I had been smart enough, observant enough, I could have figured out that there was something going on. I could have done something to stop it.”

Natasha quirked an eyebrow and gave her a sideways look. “I think you're being a little too harsh on yourself. This was decades worth of subtle planning and execution. Nobody saw any of this coming, not me, not you, not even Fury.”

The blonde stared down at her half-filled mug, and released a sigh. She knew the redhead was right, but it didn't make her feel any better. It didn't make the guilt that she somehow failed her beloved aunt any less painful. And she had spent the last two weeks when not being questioned by the FBI racking her head as to how she could have/should have stopped HYDRA.

“Stop it,” Natasha ordered. Now it was her turn to practically see the wheels in the blonde's head turning, and knew Sharon was pulling herself down with guilt. 

“I can't help it,” Sharon said. She pressed her lips tightly together, but everything was bubbling forward, she could feel herself shaking from the effort.

Natasha gathered the mugs and put them on the table in front of them. She then looped an arm around the blonde's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“It wasn't suppose to be like this,” the blonde said, her head on other woman's shoulder.

“I know.”

“I . . . She doesn't have much time. A couple of years at most. This can't be her legacy, this can't be what the world knows her for. She was the strongest person I knew, she taught me everything I know about what's right and wrong. She's my hero, and the rest of the world is just going to think of her as a failed leader, a weak woman. I can't . . .”

“Then don't. The world will think whatever it wants, you can't control it, so don't even bother,” Natasha said a little more bluntly then she intended. “Regimes fall, countries fall, empires fall all the time, but people were made to rise. SHIELD was not her true legacy. You were. You are her redemption, and her hope for the future. And long as you continue to get up, to fight and never get up, then her legacy will never die.”

Sharon closed her eyes and let those words sink in. They were corny and ham-handed, but Natasha was right. She would be her aunt's legacy. She would carry on her aunt's good work of protecting the world from tyrants and bullies.

**END.**


End file.
